How many pedalers use a dobro bar?

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

By "dobro bar" I mean the type with troughs for your fingers, as opposed to a completely round bullet bar. I think I've seen only one guy.

[Jeff Scott Brown]

By "dobro bar" I mean the type with troughs for your fingers, as opposed to a completely round bullet bar. I think I've seen only one guy.

Robert Randolph uses one. That guy is quite a player.

I have tried them and am not convinced that I like it. I have an RR2 model from Shub (http://www.shubb.com/randolph/index.html). I like the way it feels in my hand and it is easier for me to control but the squared off front edge snags on the strings when I slide the bar away from me across the strings. That takes some precision to get right. I also have a SP2 (http://www.shubb.com/sp/index.html) which has the rounded front nose so it slides across the strings without snagging. I like that better. However, it doesn't have the same tone as a traditional fully round bar. I imagine that is attributed to the mass lost to create the cutouts. I have a BJS bar and it sounds great.

I have only been playing for a few months and am still figuring out what I like. I am pretty sure that I don't like the RR2 style. I am a little torn between the SP2 and the BJS. The BJS sounds great. I like the grip and control I get out of the SP2 better. I will continue playing with both of them until I settle on a preference. I am keeping an open mind about it but I kind of expect that what will happen is that as I get better I will achieve better control over the round bar and then I will have the control plus the tone. As I said, I do like the way the SP2 handles though. Time will tell for me.

I would say that this is one of those things that you can ask 10 guys and get 11 opinions and you won't know what is right for you until you spend time with it yourself. My 2 cents.


JSB

[mike nolan]

I pick one up for a certain effect now and then, but that's all. You do want to learn with a round bar. The PSG sound comes from using a round bar.

[Larry Otis]

I use the Robert Randolph one. It's a little heavier than the dobro ones. I can grip it better. My grip ability ain't what it used to be.

[David Mason]

Yes! Definitely.... the, ummm, uh - hmmm. What was the question again?

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

Jeff,

Thanks for the info. I just went on ebay and got an RR2 and an SP2.


Mike,

What is it about the round bar that makes the sound better? Extra weight and mass?


Larry,

I'm losing my grip too, brother.


Dave,

You have more $ invested in bars than I have left in my 401K. What are your faves?


Ya'all,

I think Bobbie Koffer plays non-pedal steel with a dobro bar.

[Leonard G. Robertson]

Kevin Clemens uses a dobro bar while playing a pedal steel on "Presleys" show in Branson. He is a very fast picker too.

[Nicholas Ackron]

I use the Stevens bar similar to the RR bar but lighter and smaller.

[Geoff Barnes]

I have one here for my dobro but it feels a little light on the PSG and the tone doesn't feel "right".

I use a BJS bar at present but as a result of severe nerve damage a few years ago, I only have about 50% feeling in my extremities. I simply don't have the strength in my left hand to lift the bar using the regular grip. Presently I "tuck it in" so it is firmly pushed into the soft pad of flesh between my thumb and forefinger and my fingers extend over the neck.
The issue is when I need to lift the bar for hammer-ons/ open strings etc and keeping the bar straight. Using the recommended grip just means I have very little control so by pushing it back into my hand I can lift it with ease and "steer" it properly

This worked well up until recently when I took delivery of a MSA guitar where the switch is situated on the side of the E9 neck which means that my fingers sometimes inadvertently strike the switch whilst playing the C6 neck turning it off.

Perhaps a heavier dobro bar would allow me to get my fingers further back... who knows? might be the answer.
I have just ordered the heavier RR bar, so hey; thanks for the link

[Jeff Scott Brown]

Jeff,

Thanks for the info. I just went on ebay and got an RR2 and an SP2.

Great. I would be interested in hearing how your experience with them compares with mine. After you have had a week or 2 with them, please report back.

All the best.


JSB

[mike nolan]

Mike,

What is it about the round bar that makes the sound better? Extra weight and mass?

Extra weight and mass is one thing. Vibrato technique is another..... you can't exactly do a slow roll with a Stevens bar.

[Jim Priebe]

Gees David (Mason) - that looks like the contents of my sister-in-law's make up bag !!!
prob about the same weight too

[Jeff Scott Brown]

By "dobro bar" I mean the type with troughs for your fingers, as opposed to a completely round bullet bar. I think I've seen only one guy.

FYI...

I recorded a brief video to share a few of my thoughts on the bars. The video is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llh0k-v0K5g.


JSB

[Tom Wolverton]

When I'm running the MatchBro (or similar), I'll use a Scheerhorn bar for fast bluegrass licks and rolls. This is on a 8-string PSG. The rest of the time, a BJS bar.

[Joseph Barcus]

thats all Don Helms ever used

[David Stilley]

Have you ever watched a close up of Robert using a Stevens bar? He really digs into the strings, so I guess that's why his tone doesn't suffer using a light Stevens Bar (without the mass of a heavy round bar). I was surprised that as fast as he plays that the square edge of that bar never hangs up on a string as far down as he pushes it.

[Jeff Metz Jr.]

Haha hey JIM . That one must have went over a few heads. Either that or they were too embarrassed to comment

[Bobby D. Jones]

The grooved sided bar has been around a long time. Some people call it a DoBro bar. I have seen many variations of that bar made of Stainless steel like the Sheerhorn Bar. My DoBro playing cousin has a bar that the bottom is Stainless Steel and the top part is either black plastic or Ebony Wood, It was custom made for him several years ago. What makes some of the factory bars sound different is, They are made of BRASS and then chrome plated. I drilled a hole in one several years ago for a friend to lighten it. Out came BRASS shavins. That is why it could sound different. I have a 1 inch Brass Bar I got in a trade it seems to give my guitar a dull sound when I use it.

[b0b]

It does sound a little bit different, but mostly it makes me play differently. With a round bar, I get vibrato by rolling the bar with my fingers. With a dobro bar (I use the Shubb-Pearse SP-1), my whole forearm moves. The quality of the vibrato is different. It evokes the blues.